Real Oviedo Head Coach Javi Calleja appeared in the Press Room at El Requexón today, ahead of tomorrow's fixture against SD Huesca.
The Gaffer began by announcing several pieces of good news in the shape of players recovering from injuries, saying that "Fede (Viñas) will be in the squad, David (Costas) is available to play, we have Dani (Calvo) back from suspension, and Pomares will also probably be in the squad."
Javi Calleja also analysed the work done by his team this week following last weekend's defeat at the Martínez Valero, declaring that "it's been a working week in which we have swiftly erased the memories of Elche. We didn't play well in that match and we made it very easy for them to play the match in our half. We have to learn from it, because we have an important fixture tomorrow at home. The best way to forget the Elche match is by getting three points."
Asked about the differences in the team's performances at home compared to away from home, the Coach admitted that "it's clear that we have to improve away, be more reliable, and win more matches. The playing ideals are the same, but we have to find consistency in our performances, while still remaining ourselves. On a emotional level playing at home is not the same, because you are in front of your fans and what you have around you motivates you. Sometimes that gives you a boost. Away from home, the travelling... there are many circumstances that we have to analyse. We study the reasons behind every result. We weren't at our level the other day and we made mistakes, but the opponent played very well. We analyse the errors so that we don't repeat them in the next away match."
With respect to Jaime Vázquez and how he could be affected by praise and criticism of his performances, Javi Calleja highlighted that "I'm a few years older than Jaime and I know that football is sometimes cruel. They build you up very quickly and then cut you down. It's unfair. Jaime is young. He needs to build experience and I am never going to sentence him. He has a great career ahead of him and I am not going to constantly expose him. He must keep going in the same way, because it's part of football. I am convinced that in the last match the first person to get things wrong was me, but I am sure that this is going to make him a better footballer. After the match he was sad and hurt, and felt to blame. We have to support him and put it in perspective. These things can happen and it's a constant learning process. When it comes to young players, I try to stick with them and see how they overcome adversity."
Ahead of Friday's fixture against SD Huesca, the Coach reasoned that "it's one of those matches that worry me. Teams in bad from are the most dangerous ones. Huesca are capable of beating anyone and they proved it at the start of the season. Results mean that you can get mistaken, but they are going to be a dangerous opponent. We have to be careful with counter attacks and set pieces. They aren't going to make it easy for us. They are going to make it difficult, and there will be tough moments for us. We have to keep going, give it everything, and get control of the match."
Finally, regarding the balance of home and away points, Javi Calleja believes that "we have to be the best at home, but we also have to win away in order to be up there. We have to analyse it and compete even more in everything. We have to know that for the aim we have it will not be enough to just win at home."